Fallingwater Appoints New Curator of Buildings and Collections

(Mill Run, Pennsylvania, February 23, 2007).   Working at a landmark is not a new experience for Justin W. Gunther, who has just been apointed Fallingwater’s Curator of Buildings and Collections. Gunthur arrives at the Frank Lloyd Wright masterwork from George Washington's Mt. Vernon, where he served as manager of restoration with the responsibility of overseeing the preservation of more than 25 historic buildings, and supervising their architectural fragment collection.

 In addition to his duties at Mount Vernon, Justin has presented at several preservation symposia and is the author of the book Historic Signs of Savannah (Arcadia Publishing, 2004) and the recent article "Mount Vernon: An Architectural Identity," Society for Commercial Archaeology. He has a Master of Fine Arts in Historic Preservation from the Savannah College of Art and Design and a Bachelor of Science from Virginia Commonwealth University where he was named Most Outstanding Biology Graduate.

“We are delighted to have attracted a curator of Justin's caliber,” said Fallingwater Director and Western Pennsylvania Conservancy Vice President Lynda Waggoner. “He brings outstanding preservation skills and a fresh prespective. We look forward to working with him.”

The collections of the Fallingwater Museum are comprised of more than 950 works of art including prints, paintings, sculpture, furniture, ceramics, art glass, and miscellaneous household objects. Of particular significance in the collection are the 169 pieces of original walnut furniture, custom designed by Frank Lloyd Wright for Fallingwater. These pieces represent one of the most complete ensembles of Wright designed, site-specific furniture.

###

About Fallingwater and the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy:
The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy (WPC) preserves Fallingwater®, the masterpiece home designed in 1935 by Frank Lloyd Wright for Edgar J. Kaufmann in Mill Run, Pennsylvania. In 1963, Edgar Kaufmann jr. (sic) entrusted Fallingwater to the Conservancy.  As a symbol of living in harmony with nature, Fallingwater offers a wide variety of educational programs to its more than 135,000 annual visitors.   Since its founding in 1932, the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy has protected more than 212,000 acres of natural lands in Pennsylvania, restored watersheds and saved natural habitats for a diversity of life and uses.  Each year, WPC also partners with 5,000 volunteers and dozens of community organizations and businesses to plant and maintain 135 gardens and greening projects in 20 western Pennsylvania counties.